Why should engineers have all the fun?
Introducing… High School of Business™
FACT: More than 30% of your college-bound high
school graduates will major in business.
FACT: Until now we’ve done little to prepare them
for the challenges and decisions of B-School.
FACT: It’s time for a substantive, challenging, college-
oriented HS curriculum for future MBA’s
Introducing our new High School of Business™ curricula and program model designed specifically for college bound students planning a business administration major in areas such as accounting, marketing, management, human resources, and more.
Concept
Develop a curriculum and delivery strategy for a benchmark business program targeted at college-bound students who are likely to major in business administration. The proposed High School of Business™ is to include substantive professional development of individual teachers, course guides based on research-based curriculum, program accreditation based on challenging criteria, and high levels of participation among college faculty, guidance staff, academic faculty, and business/marketing faculty. Curricula will prepare students for A*S*K certification and will position them favorably for college admission, various college credit options (e.g., dual credit, course waivers, CLEP testing, advanced standing), and for career decisions within the business administration framework.
Planned for pilot testing in July 2008, our new High School of Business™ includes:
Rationale
“Business” is one of the most popular college majors for first-year college students. Various studies report that 30% + of all freshmen initiate business majors, typically making business the first or second most common major in any given year, nationwide. The numbers are even more significant when one considers the number of students graduating from college with liberal arts and specialized majors who then enroll in various graduate-level business programs (e.g., MBA).
In spite of the popularity of the college business major, few secondary schools provide an upper-level benchmark program targeted at the college-bound student. Clearly, there is a need and an opportunity to provide high-level programs targeted at the more advanced high school student.
In some secondary schools, the business/marketing program is viewed as an option for students who are less likely to attend college. Although there is a significant need and opportunity for business programs to serve these students, doing so does not lessen the value of advanced-level programming. In fact, providing challenging, college-oriented classes along with traditional programming is likely to help business/marketing education better position all of its course offerings as guidance counselors learn the value of business skills in the marketplace and as teachers and administrators more fully recognize the opportunity for rigor and relevance in all quality business classes.
Description
The High School of Business will assume many of the characteristics and attributes of various academy programs, of Project Lead the Way, and of various principles of SREB’s High Schools That Work initiative. The specific design of the program is a key deliverable of this proposed project.
The actual, specific High School of Business design notwithstanding, initial conceptualization includes such characteristics as:
· Program accreditation based on continuous quality improvement models and specific requirements such as teacher training and continuing professional development, specified curricula, college participation, and detailed reporting requirements
· Business Administration framework with a core business curriculum and various specialty options such as marketing, information management, entrepreneurship, or finance
· Comprehensive integration of relevant academics, including integration within business courses and additional specified courses within individual student courses-of-study (e.g., statistics, psychology, sociology).
· Team approach to involve business and marketing faculty, other academic faculty, and guidance personnel, along with active participation of one or more college faculty
· Rigorous, high-level curriculum with outcomes comparable to a college level principles of business course and portions of specialized college courses addressed by the selected specialties (e.g., marketing, finance, information management)
· Problems-based (applied) curriculum, but with mainstream testing and accountability for key concepts and relevant skills
· Positioned to support various college articulation options, including local options to provide for college credit or advance standing
· Required curricula, including courses-of-study and course outcomes
· Academic integration and required academic courses (math, language, social sciences)
· Required testing and reporting
· Independent student certification (i.e., A*:S:*K)
· Intensive professional development requirements for all business/marketing faculty and counselor training
· Teacher recognition
· Industry participation, including active advisory committee
Interested?
The High School of Business™ concept is presently under development as part of a multi-state sponsored project by MarkED/Career Paths. Plans call for a small number of pilot sites to be established for the 2007-2008 academic year.
For general
information as this initiative develops, visit our web site AND register for
the specialized High School of Business ™ list serve.
Questions? Lisa Berkey BerkeyL@Mark-ED.org
OR 800.448.0398 x222.
High School of Business PowerPoint Presentation